Exploring cultural contexts of dog ownership Mental health and satisfaction with life among university students in India
- Title
- Exploring cultural contexts of dog ownership Mental health and satisfaction with life among university students in India
- Creator
- Narvekar, Hemangi Narayan; Patil, Jai
- Description
- The rising social value of pet ownership is infuenced by social media and evidence of positive efects on well-being, leading to a rise in dog ownership in younger generations. However, the mental health outcomes of this broader shif, especially in India, have not been studied. The study explored the association between dog owners relationships, mental health, and satisfaction with life among university students. A cross-sectional correlational design was used with 250 students aged 1825 who were either dog owners or without pets. The dog owners responded to the Monash Dog Owner Relationship Scale, apart from the Mental Health Continuum and Satisfaction with Life Scale. Results showed a non-signifcant diference between mental health and satisfaction with life between dog owners and non-pet respondents. A positive relationship could not be established between dog ownership, mental health, and satisfaction with life. The dogs gender and breed infuenced the owners emotional bonding and interactions. Low perceived costs were related to a strong emotional bond with the dog, highlighting the complex nature of the pet ownership experience. Dog ownerships efect on students well-being is not universal and might depend on various individual, cultural, and contextual factors. Exploration of these human-animal interactions is warranted. 2025 John Benjamins Publishing Company.
- Source
- Interaction Studies;Volume;26;Issue;1;pp.24-47
- Date
- 01-01-2025
- Publisher
- John Benjamins Publishing Company
- Subject
- human-animal bond; human-animal interactions; pet ownership; satisfaction with life; well-being
- Coverage
- Narvekar H.N., CHRIST (Deemed to Be University), Bengaluru, India; Patil J., Symbiosis International (Deemed University), Pune, India
- Rights
- Restricted Access; Hardcopy may be available in the library
- Relation
- ISSN: 15720373;
- Format
- online
- Language
- English
- Type
- Article
Collection
Citation
Narvekar, Hemangi Narayan; Patil, Jai, “Exploring cultural contexts of dog ownership Mental health and satisfaction with life among university students in India,” CHRIST (Deemed To Be University) Institutional Repository, accessed June 18, 2026, https://archives.christuniversity.in/items/show/22623.
